Something that has been a “hobby” but a necessity at the same time in my family for generations, is not only gardening but preserving our own food in various ways. I know that back a couple generations it was more of a survival type of thing than a hobby obviously, but in recent years with the way things have evolved, it is still an old school type of thing but something that we still do.
I am fascinated by canning and all that good thing, but I will at the same time admit to you that I am TERRIFIED of using your typical pressure canner & the like! I actually have a pressure COOKER in my cabinet that my mom left over here when we moved last year because I had her come over and cook something one day and she volunteered to leave it for another time, but it has never been out of the cabinet since then lol. I hope one day to either overcome my fear or get an electric one!
Since it is something I am interested in , and it is something that my mom (as well as my grandma) do I was pretty excited when I got the chance to review some goodies from Fresh Preserving Store(Think BALL brand goodies like the jars and whatnot) When I told my mom she practically did a cartwheel (which honestly she hasn’t done since I was young and ended up getting a bloody nose from it lol)
The day that the goodies arrived my mom had been at my Grandmas in virginia and hadn’t been home very long when I called to tell her about getting it, and believe me she RUSHED over to see everything! I don’t think she had been home an hour and generally after she travels she wants to rest 🙂
All Kinds of Goodies:
First up I got some of the Limited Edition Ball Heritage Collection jars in Purple! I was pretty excited about these because my mom actually collects these jars as well as uses them. Of course there are some that she doesn’t use and they are part of her display.. she has so many rare/older ones I couldn’t begin to name them! I got them in both sizes (pint and quart) and they are GORGEOUS. I need to write this blog post about how this entire year the color purple has been haunting me- everything I am getting seems to have migrated from pink to purple! Anyways, these are the last in the 3 year heritage collection of jars. 2013 was the 100th anniversary of the jars, and the “Improved” jar from 1915 was marked this year as a period inspired color. They are just as reliable and high quality as the other jars and can be used just as another of the jars- to collect, to use for canning/whatnot or both 🙂 I know my mom has already canned salsa in these- as a side note I already owned the sip& straw set and I kept one pint jar for myself to use for that 🙂
Of Course if you have JARS you will still need extra sets of lids/and bands because you cannot reuse the actual lids (unless they are tattlers) so I was happy to have had included in my box some extra of each type that I had my mom pick out – but they have SEVERAL that you can choose from! Just check out all the options of Fresh Preserving store Lids and you will sure to be able to find the ones that you need!
Next Up I got The Canning Discovery Kit, which is a 6 piece set that includes 3 pint jars, a rack and a lifter which is a perfect beginners type of set of course. The rack & lifter were a bit complicated to get figured out , even for my mom but I think we finally got the gist of it! This would be perfect when you first start out and not have to spend a whole lot at the same time. It would be good for a small batch of something for practice- as far as the jars go. There is also a simplified canning instruction Recipe book which is good for some one like myself when you might not know where to really start. of course I am lucky enough to be able to share this with my mom and she is very knowledgeable it is a great reference to have on hand for those moments when she might not be available and that sort of thing.
Next up, I received the Canning Utensil Set , which is a 4 piece set that includes a variety of handy goodies for canning! First up you have a funnel which is VERY useful to help you get the stuff from your pressure canner into the jar without spilling it and whatnot! You also have a jar lifter which is VERY handy for lifting your jars out of the VERY hot water that would be in your canner. Then you have a LID lifter which is handy for getting the lids out because of its magnetic end. Finally you have bubble remover/headspace tool that is pretty self explanatory as well. I would def. say that these are MUST haves for canning and my mom agrees! I know she hadn’t had a jar lifter herself for very long and she has been raving about hers ever since she had got it. I def. would say this would be one of those first things you should get when you are considering canning!
Last but not least we have the Ball Blue Book Guide To Preserving. I know that the majority things that my mom has learned to can are recipes and processes that have been handed down for years in our family, but I also know that there are things that she has wanted to know more about preserving and this book is the very tool for that! This is the 37th editon of the book with 200 pages and it has over 500 recipes that tell you exactly what you need, and gives you step by step instructions for canning, pickling, dehydrating, freezing food,etc. I know that this was an item that I was particularly excited by , because like I say VERY handy especially for a newbie as well as a novice and it also gives so many options at the same time. I really look forward to using it on my journey.
Wrapping It All Up:
All together I am VERY excited with the items that I received from the Fresh Preserving Store, and I know that I , as well as my Mom are looking forward to using them in the years to come. I was most excited for this review because I wanted to be able to share these things with her, and use it as a way to facilitate a relationship while also learning more about canning which as I mentioned before is a very rich part of my family history and I would like to be able to continue it in the future! This was an awesome way to spend a little more time with my mom and all that kind of thing as well! If you are interested in canning I really suggest you check into these items that I have mentioned to help you get started!
